About Me

March 17, 2024

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... very light pj's as it was literally a Summer day outside today. It's going to be super warm until Tuesday, then the temperature will drop drastically and by Wednesday morning, our current muddy and brown landscape will be all white again!

What I'm reading .... the latest "Daphne's Diary" magazine. I love all the whimsical articles and activities.

What's happening in my kitchen .... quiet in the moment. Dishwasher is done and we're already snuggled in our cozy bed for the night.

What's outside my window .... the sun shone all day and the snow is all melted. Just in time for another storm!

What I'm thankful for .... life, our sweet cottage, peace, good food and our amazing family, kind friends and co~workers. 

What I'm smelling .... the sour candies my daughter gifted us tonight for a late night treat. Very sweet!

What I'm hearing .... dh is watching an episode of "The Twilight Zone." Not very interesting to me.

What I'm crafting .... back to writing my book. I took a writing course so now I want to get back to finishing this story. One day, I'll write the last word and then it will become a journey of figuring out if I want to publish it, then how to do that! Maybe even a little book tour ....

What's on my mind .... how to sleep thru the night .... I was awake until 4:30 am this morning. This can't continue as I'm getting quite exhausted.

Words to live by .... the quote for today is above. So sweet! Hope you enjoy this week's quote.

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

March 16, 2024

Silent Corner.


Dh had to drive into town the other day for an in person meeting, and took dd2 with him as she was working at our centre. Dd1 and dgs were at work and school. So that left me at home, all by myself, for the first time in forever. I had a virtual meeting and used the time before to shower, make the bed, tidy my office space, put my notes together for the meeting, had the meeting, then did some work on our new project. By the time I had dusted, vacuumed and cleaned our bathroom, everyone was coming in the door, or on their way home. I was quite proud that I handled the quiet so well, as it's typically a noisy and busy cottage. I haven't been left alone at all since last Spring, so this new experience was one I had been dreading for months, as I knew at some point the day would come. Thankful it was a busy day and went by quickly. 

The shot above was a silent moment in the cottage, before I turned some music on, as I worked. It struck me as the perfect photo to show the quiet in our home that morning, with the sun reflecting on dh's chair, and yet, he's not sitting in it as he normally would be. A silent corner in a typically life filled home!
~ Chy

March 13, 2024

Tiny Garden.


A month ago, I posted this sweet pic of a tiny "Peter Rabbits Garden" with the intent on recreating it in our Secret Garden this year. The story of Peter Rabbit will always hold a special place in my heart as I cast in the production back in kindergarten. I played one of Peter's little sisters. I think I was Cottontail but cannot be quite sure. I recall my sweet costume, complete with the fluffy round tail, and we all got Dairy Queen Dilly Bars once the play was done. We had to be so careful before the production to not get a spec of dirt on our costumes but once it was done, we all had chocolate smeared all over our faces, and I'm sure some on the material. My pink bunny costume with the ears and the white tail hung in my closet for years. So year, the story of Peter Rabbit has many memories for me. I hope I can recreate the tiny garden above. The biggest challenge will be the little blue jacket. I'm going to give it a good try!

We woke up to heavy fog today. It's now burning off because the sun is shining but it was quite eery this morning. Today, for the first time in 42 weeks, I'm at home, all alone, with my thoughts and my worries. Dh has been beside me every day but today, he had a meeting and normally, I likely would have attended too but I have a virtual meeting in an hour, so staying home made more sense. Later today, I'm off to visit a dear friend but dh will come home in between and we'll have lunch together first. Then it's off to her house, then a stop in town to pick up dd who is working at our preschool today, then home for a virtual class, dinner and finally, our virtual board meeting. Many things to keep me busy. Helps when I'm all alone.

Hope your day is going well and the sun is out!

~ Chy

March 12, 2024

A Sister for Carys.


After a year of Carys, it was time to find
her a little "sister" but I promise, just 2
Blythe dolls is all this cottage will have!
New doll arrived on March 2nd after the
creator of Carys released her latest and
I just happened to be looking that day.
The journey from across the sea was so
quick ~ not even 2 weeks. I will do a
reveal soon. Trying to figure out how to
create a video from what I captured on
the day she arrived. And working on her
name as well. Exciting times at the cottage!

If you're a Blythe collector, how many do you have?

~ Chy

March 10, 2024

Right Here. Right Now.


What I'm wearing .... leggings and my Disney 100th Anniversary long sleeved shirt, with barefeet, and a single braid off to the side. We're having a lazy day as it's been a busy, crazy week and weekend. Tonight we have an event that dh is MC'ing and I'm trying to conserve some energy before a long, hot shower and getting all dressed up!

What I'm reading .... my new English Home magazine for the Spring. This week, I'm going to start "A Work in Progress" written by Connor Franta. I'm also reading a LOT of grant applications for our charity ~ tis the season!

What's happening in my kitchen .... quiet in the moment. Dh made us some amazing ham and cheese omelets. So good but I couldn't eat all of mine as it was too big ~ dd1 is finishing mine up. He promised me next time he'll make me one half the size. Love all of his cooking though.

What's outside my window .... sunshine and melting. We're at 0 C in the moment and will go higher this afternoon. All week is above 0 C but hoping the snow doesn't melt too quickly so there is no flooding. 

What I'm thankful for .... life, our sweet cottage, peace, good food and our amazing family, kind friends and co~workers. 

What I'm smelling .... the popcorn I just enjoyed, leftover from last night. We watched "Regime" while eating this salty treat. Always some left over for Sunday.

What I'm hearing .... the tv is on "Blue Bloods" in the moment. Dh, dd1 and dgs are in the theatre room watching NHL hockey (so early on a Sunday morning) and dd2 is working on our new program that launches in a week, so there is a bit of chatter back and forth. Love her attention to detail as she ensures it's easy for participants to register.

What I'm crafting .... a new art journal that I'm making from a couple of duplicate magazines I ended up with.

What's on my mind .... my mom's health, the many projects we're working on, announcements that need to be made this week, and our big anniversary in the Summer. A mix of good, exciting, not so great and lots of hard work coming up!

Words to live by .... the quote for today is above. So sweet! Hope you enjoy this week's quote.

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy  

March 4, 2024

Inside Views.


I'm going to start my video series this month of our little cottage in the big woods. For now, two shots of a view I had the other day when I was sitting at our dining room table. Both are at the front of our cottage. Our little living room is across the hall from the dining room. In our other house, we had double french doors on the living room and I loved when my kids were little, we always had a beautiful, sun filled tidy room. We lived in the family room that was just a step down from our kitchen and nook. It filled the entire back of our house and was comfortable and our favorite place. The living room was our special spot at the end of the day, or when guests popped in. Where our Christmas Tree landed, and the best place to read a book on a rainy day. The move for designers and home builders to delete formal living rooms and dining rooms from homes now may work for many. But not for our family. We had to design this cottage because every house plan we looked at had no living and dining rooms options, which was sad. I love these intentional, comfortable spaces and so glad we advocated for both.

The second photo is looking thru the french door to the butler's pantry (aka the tea cupboard) and the kitchen. My apron is hanging on the right side. I'm so thankful we again advocated for what we wanted. In this case, a vintage inspired kitchen, with solid wood cabinetry painted a sage green, with ivory accents to match our AGA range from England. Black granite to keep the look with the black top of the range. We continued the cabinets in the laundry room, which is the sliding door at the back of the hall, as well as in our bathrooms, the desk under the stairs and the bookcases in the family room. The only cabinet that is different is the half bath on the main floor. We bought that unit and painted it to match the other cabinetry. A uniform look with a vintage style. And our own eclectic design all over.

More to come this month as Spring begins to emerge.

~ Chy

March 2, 2024

Hello, March.


March always brings some hope. As the snow starts
to melt and Spring begins to emerge, it always feels
lighter. We don't have to bundle up and wear heavy
boots. Less sweaters and no mitts! Can't wait for it!

~ Chy

February 29, 2024

Goodbye February.


It was unseasonable warm, without any snow,
until this week. So now we're starting to leave
Winter and get ready for Spring, only to have
Winter finally show up! Thankful our region
is not being hit as hard as down south but also
thankful the snow may help us have less fire
concerns this Summer. More storms in the
next week. But Spring will soon be here. Yes!

Are you ready for this next season?

~ Chy